Aware:
Updated:
This image provided by the Colorado Department of Transportation shows mud and debris on US Highway 6 on Sunday, August 1, 2021, west of Silver Plume, Colorado. Mud slides closed some Colorado highways when forecasters warned of possible flash floods Sunday in the Rocky Mountains. and Great Basin regions. (Colorado Department of Transportation via AP)
DENVER, Colorado (AP) - Landslides from heavy rains caused "extreme damage" to a major interstate and left it blocked with piles of rocks and logs, Colorado transportation officials said Sunday, as meteorologists warned of more. flash floods in the next few days. the Rocky Mountain and Great Basin regions.
Flood risk was high in many areas of the west, where recent wildfires burned vegetation and left slopes more susceptible to erosion, the National Weather Service said.
Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon, Colorado, was closed with no information on when it could reopen after being hit by flash flooding over a three-day period. Lanes in both directions remained blocked by debris from the burn scar from a wildfire last year in the Grizzly Creek area.
The torrent of rocks that fell down the steep canyon walls broke sections of the concrete road and cut a long section of the steel railing, photos provided by state officials showed.
More rain was forecast for the drought-parched region, prompting flash flood warnings in parts of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
I-70 is a major transportation corridor between the Rocky Mountains and the West Coast.
An approximately 46-mile (74-kilometer) section of the interstate was closed. Transportation officials advised long-distance truckers to detour north to Interstate 80 through Wyoming.
Crews were still assessing the damage Sunday night. They had been working to clear the road since Thursday when another flash flood struck Saturday, forcing them to evacuate the area and causing even more damage.
"When we know exactly what the damage is, we'll have a better idea" of when it might reopen, Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Tamara Rollison said.
โIt's not just about cleaning up the debris. There is also the damage, โhe said. "Our engineering staff have never seen anything like this before."
More than 100 people had to spend the night on the road Thursday night, including nearly 30 who took refuge in a tunnel after the landslides in western Colorado.
The mudslides also closed Colorado Highway 125 near Granby and US Highway 6 above Colorado's Loveland Pass. Highway 6 reopened Sunday, Rollison said.
In Rock Springs, Wyoming, nine adults and eight children received assistance after Saturday's floods, the Red Cross said.
